GENETIC

Both genetic and generic or physical explanations have been invoked to explain biological phenomena for more than a century. But the mechanisms that produce the shape and structure of morphology have been seen primarily, if not exclusively, in terms of genetics for the last half-century. One of the major research trends of the past decade is the reintroduction of physical science approaches to biological sciences through the application of physical principles to specific biological phenomena such as development, evolutionary novelty, and evolvability.

Integrating Genetic and Generic Explanations of Biological Phenomena is a three-year initiative based at the University of Minnesota that aims to facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue between different approaches to understanding biological phenomena.